An action movie without cars is like French fries without ketchup. It works, but it doesn’t necessarily add to the excitement. Back in the silent film era, when the automobile was barely part of everyday life, the first models appeared on the big screen. Ever since, the car has been on an almost unstoppable triumphant march.
Throughout the history of cinema, there have always been films in which particular cars have played leading roles, nearly outshining the human stars. But films can also serve as platforms for cars, enabling them to achieve a breakthrough. Or at least create a myth around them. This boosts the market value of classic models. Meanwhile, original movie cars – if they still exist – are auctioned off for sums in the millions. Below are 18 movie and TV stars with four wheels.
VW Beetle – The Love Bug (1968)
- Original title: The Love Bug
- Director: Robert Stevenson
- Model: VW Beetle
- Nickname: Herbie
- IMDb rating: 6,5/10
Herbie, a hearty Volkswagen Beetle, actually starred in no less than six feature films (most recently in 2005’s Herbie: Completely Loaded with Lindsay Lohan). The hearty crawler distinguished itself by always coming out on top in various races against; it should be noted, much better-motorized competitors. Since 2017, it has been in the planning stages for a new TV series, which has not been realized to date.
Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am – Knight Rider (1982-1986)
- Original title: Knight Rider
- Showrunner: Glen A. Larson
- Model: Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
- Nickname: KITT.
- IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Before David Hasselhoff was a lifeguard in Malibu, he was the Knight Rider of the ’80s. By his side at all times was the supercar KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), which not only had a talking computer, countless tricks, a bullet-proof body and invisible seat belts but was also able to reach a top speed of 480 km/h!
The series intro is unforgettable: “One car, one computer, one man. Knight Rider – A man and his car fight injustice.” By the way, the 2008 reboot of the series gives Hasselhoff’s series son Justin Bruening a no less shrewd Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR at his side, but still, the vehicle doesn’t come close to the original charm.
1983 GMC Vandura – The A-Team (1983-1987)
- Original title: The A-Team
- Showrunner: Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
- Model: 83 GMC Vandura
- IMDb rating: 7,5/10
The A-Team didn’t have too many high-speed chase races in their beefy van, but they did have to use the GMC Vandura for a stunt or two. BA. Baracus’s (Mr T) crate served as the troop’s mobile headquarters – and it could store a huge amount of weapons of all kinds and technical knickknacks.
Chevrolet Camaro – Transformers (2007)
- Original title: Transformers
- Director: Michael Bay
- Model: Chevrolet Camaro
- Nickname: Bumblebee
- IMDb rating: 7.0/10
Originally – according to the comics, toys and the original TV series – robot car Bumblebee was, yes, a VW Beetle like Herbie, but he was given a more modern look by director Michael Bay for the reboot of the film series: The bright yellow Chevy Camaro played its way into the hearts of Shia LaBeouf and movie audiences alongside truck Optimus Prime, and in December 2018 it was given its own spin-off.
1969 Dodge Charger – The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)
- Original title: The Dukes of Hazzard
- Showrunner: Gy Waldron & Jerry Rushing
- Model: 1969 Dodge Charger
- Nickname: General Lee
- IMDb rating: 7,1/10
This orange Dodge Charger was the star of the 80’s Southern series The Dukes of Hazzard. General Lee had to survive numerous stunts with the rebellious brothers Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat). By the way, General Lee inherited his name from the real-life General Robert E. Lee, who commanded the main army of the Confederate States of America from 1861 onwards (hence the Confederate flag on the roof of the car).
A fact that subsequently proved to be the downfall of the series in 2015, following the attack in Charleston. The film company Warner Bros. was prompted to have all merchandise and especially “General Lee” toy cars produced without the iconic roof decoration.
Mini – The Italian Job (1969)
- Original title: The Italian Job
- Director: Peter Collinson
- Model: Mini
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
A pair of aging gangsters (Michael Caine and Noël Coward) pulling off the coup of a lifetime in 1960s Turin. Especially remembered here are the breakneck show interludes of the body-reinforced Minis, which are whipped not only over stairs and jetties. The new film from 2003 (The Italian Job, with Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton, among others) also continued this tradition and made use of Cooper S Minis.
1970 Dodge Charger R/T – The Fast and the Furious (2001)
- Original title: The Fast and the Furious
- Director: Rob Cohen
- Model: Dodge Charger R/T (1970 model year)
- IMDb rating: 6,8/10
Agreed, the Fast & Furious movies are 99.8 percent cars; the rest is split between testosterone and muscle-bound men with no hair. But if any crate from Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s tuner garage deserves to be mentioned by name here, it is Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. But why? Even the hard-boiled Dom (Vin Diesel) is afraid of this heirloom and rarely dares to race it in quarter-mile races. A true monster!
Ferrari 308 GTS – Magnum, PI (1980-1988)
- Original title: Magnum, PI.
- Showrunners: Donald P. Bellisario & Glen A. Larson
- Model: Ferrari 308 GTS
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
Personal sleuth Magnum (Tom Selleck) had not only the most iconic snot brake and the most beautiful Hawaiian shirts in TV history, but he also had a luxury company car: in a bright red Ferrari 308 GTS, he jetted through 162 episodes (in eight seasons) in Hawaii. Fun Fact: For the two-meter man Selleck, they had to convert the driver’s seat; otherwise, he would have had no room in the car. By the way, since the new edition of 2018, Jay Hernández clamps behind the wheel of a red Ferrari 488 Spider.
1967 Chevrolet Impala – Supernatural (2005-2020)
- Original title: Supernatural
- Showrunner: Eric Kripke
- Model: Chevrolet Impala (1967 model year)
- Nickname: Baby
- IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Fans of the longest-running mystery series in the world know about the fate of the two Winchester brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). But anyone unfamiliar with their adventures will inevitably fall in love with “Baby.” This iconic Impala has become at least as much a member of the family as angel Castiel (Misha Collins), driving the demon hunters across America.
It doesn’t matter how many dents the car suffers, and Dean gets his sweetie back in shape by the next episode at the latest. And most important: Music comes only from the cassette recorder, a CD player has no place in this car!
1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex – Ghostbusters (1984)
- Original title: Ghostbusters
- Director: Ivan Reitman
- Model: 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex / Cadillac Ambulance
- Nickname: Ecto-1
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Everyone who previously thought the Ecto-1 was a repainted hearse, now raise your hand for once. For correction: the Cadillac Ambulance is – according to the name – actually an American ambulance, which was in use in the 50s. In any case, Ghostbusters used the vehicle for other purposes and chased paranormal creepy creatures across Manhattan. For the shooting of the first Ghostbusters movie, only a single model was used, which had to be treated with appropriate care.
Ferrari Testarossa – Miami Vice (1984-1990)
- Original title: Miami Vice
- Showrunner: Anthony Yerkovich
- Model: Ferrari Testarossa
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
Blow-dry haircuts, jumpsuits and Ray-Ban sunglasses: Sonny Crockett’s (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs’ (Philip Michael Thomas) styles are at least as legendary as their snow-white Ferrari Testarossa, which they used to zip around Miami in the ’80s, busting drug lords. The fun fact: They chose the white paint job because many of the scenes were shot at night, and a classic red Ferrari would have looked less impressive. Maybe it was because Magnum already had dibs on the color red!
Peugeot 403 Convertible – Columbo (1968-1978 / 1989-2003)
- Original title: Columbo
- Showrunner: Richard Levinson & William Link
- Model: Peugeot 403 Convertible
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Unquestionably the most unconventional vehicle on this list, but let’s face it, no other company car would suit our favorite scatterbrained inspector, right? His battered Peugeot 403 convertible accompanied Columbo through several cases – old love never rusts.
Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger (1964)
- Original title: Goldfinger
- Director: Guy Hamilton
- Model: Aston Martin DB5
- IMDb rating: 7,7/10
Three things inevitably pop into your head when you think of 007: martinis – shaken, not stirred -, saucy women who inevitably fall for James Bond’s charms (and most likely end up in bed with him), and, of course, pricey luxury cars that play all the pieces thanks to Q’s inventiveness. The first time he got into an Aston Martin DB5, by the way, it was Sean Connery in Goldfinger (1965).
Since then, it has been part of the secret agent’s fixed repertoire. Throughout the film and book series, there were also an excessive number of models from the Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Ford fleets.
Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback – Bullitt (1968)
- Original title: Bullitt
- Director: Peter Yates
- Model: Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback
- IMDb rating: 7,4/10
Steve McQueen once went on a manhunt in his moss-green Mustang Fastback – and in the hardboiled crime thriller, Bullitt (1968) gave the audience possibly the longest car chase in cinema history. Legendary: the ten-minute chase of two killers in their Dodge Charger R/T, during which the protagonist shifts up a gear 20 times (without shifting down again).
The original Mustang went under the hammer at an auction on January 10, 2020. The old owner, Bob Kiernan, deliberately kept the car unrestored in a garage for more than 45 years and even turned down several prominent bidders. Finally, this cult car changed hands after his death – as the most expensive Mustang ever sold at auction – for $3.4 million!
DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future (1985)
- Original title: Back to the Future
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Model: DeLorean DMC-12
- IMDb rating: 8,5/10
In real life, DeLoreans sold anything but well (the company went out of business after only seven years), but as the mobile time machine in Steven Spielberg’s Back to the Future (1985), the DMC-12 of Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) functioned brilliantly. Only 9,000 units were ever built – and they have increased enormously in value since the hype surrounding the time travel movie!
